This rice recipe is vegan and gluten-free. I have also added instructions to make this Thai fried rice on the stovetop and Instant Pot.
Thai cuisine is my all-time favorite. The flavors in almost all Thai dishes are just amazing. Thai Basil Fried Rice (Khao Phat) and Pineapple Fried Rice (Kao Pad Sapparod) are among my favorite rice preparations from their kitchen. I generally go for a vegetarian option whenever I visit any Thai restaurant and select tofu. We just love it. If you love Thai cuisine, please check out the following dishes from our blog - Thai Coleslaw, easy Thai side dish known as Pad Ga Prow or Phat Kaphrao, quick Thai Fried Rice or Khao Pad, the Crunchiest Popcorn with Thai flavors for your next movie night, Mango Sticky Rice, etc. But since mangoes are in season I thought it would be a great idea to substitute pineapples with mangoes and make mango fried rice instead of pineapple fried rice and I was not wrong at all. I made this for weekend lunch and my whole family loved it. It tasted similar to, if not better than, pineapple fried rice. We are going to make it more often until fresh mangoes are in season.
Meanwhile, if you have missed some of the popular mango recipes posted on this blog – savory, sweets, or desserts – check these out.
Mango Doughnuts (Donuts) with Mango Glaze 3 Ingredient Mango Ice Cream Mango Mastani or Mango Thick Shake White Chocolate Mango Mousse Chia Mango Pudding – This is healthy and the best, especially for the summer season! Mango Vermicelli Kheer (Mango Payasam) Coconut Mango Barfi or Mango Fudge Raw Mango Rice Mango Thandai Ugadi Pachadi Tropical Fruit salad Aamras
If you are a fried rice lover, then you are totally going to love this recipe. I have kept the recipe very simple. Since my two boys love mangoes and fried rice but not spicy food, I have not added any chili sauce or chilies. After I have reserved their portions, I just added red pepper flakes to taste. The best part about the fried rice recipe is that it is very flexible. You can add any combination of veggies of your choice. If you are a seafood lover, add shrimp or prawns. You may also add other meat or for vegetarian protein add tofu or paneer or soya chunks.
I personally love jasmine rice and jeera rice while preparing fried rice. It gives a different flavor to the dish. For fried rice, day-old rice or leftover rice works the best. Basically, you want the rice to be cold and dry. Else, it may become soft and mushy and clump together when you stir fry. Having said that you can still use freshly steamed rice. I use it most of the time as I am bad at meal planning. In this case, just make sure you spread a bowl of cooked rice on a wide plate and cool it before you get started with the fried rice recipe.
(Ingredient list may look lengthy, feel free to add those veggies available in your pantry) 2 tablespoon Oil ¼ cup Onion, finely chopped 3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon Ginger, grated 1 tablespoon Lemongrass, finely chopped ⅓ cup Cashew nuts, halved ½ cup Tofu or Paneer, cut into cubes ¾ cup Mangoes, chopped into small cubes ¼ cup Green capsicum or Bell pepper, finely chopped ¼ cup Yellow Capsicum or Bell pepper, finely chopped 3 Mushroom, sliced 3 Babycorn, cut into small pieces 2 Spring onion, finely chopped 2 to 3 tablespoon Cilantro or Basil Leaves, finely chopped 1 ½ cup Rice ( approx 4 ½ cups cooked rice) 1 teaspoon Sugar Salt, to taste 1 ½ tablespoon Soy sauce Red pepper flakes, to taste Pepper powder, to taste
Heat oil in pan or wok on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot add onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and saute just until onion becomes translucent and garlic turns fragrant. Add cashews and tofu (or paneer) and saute till it becomes light golden in color. Now add mangoes and all the veggies (bell pepper, baby corn, mushroom, spring onions, cilantro), sugar, salt to taste and saute it on medium-high flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook on medium-high to high flame until you see that the rice is hot, looks dry, and some crispy bits are formed. Finally, add soy sauce and toss till combined. After 30 seconds to 1-minute switch off the flame. If you are serving it to kids, reserve their portions and then add red pepper flakes and pepper powder and toss for once last time. Thai Mango Fried Rice is ready. Garnish it with some more spring onions, basil, or cilantro. Serve and enjoy.
Use jasmine rice or jeera rice for the best results. Use extra-firm tofu while making any rice dishes. You can add Thai bird’s eye chili or sriracha chili sauce for extra spiciness to the dish. Use any veggies of your choice. Some other veggies that go well include tomatoes, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, green peas, sweet corn, spinach, celery, etc. I have not added fish sauce, oyster sauce in the recipe. The flavor from the soy sauce was sufficient and balanced. I have used dark soy sauce. I have used sweet and ripe mangoes for my recipe. Feel free to use pineapple instead of mangoes to make Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
If using leftover rice, then ignore this step. Else, add rice to the instant pot along with 1 ½ cup of water. Close the lid with vent to Sealing Position. Press the pressure cook button and cook at high pressure for 3 minutes. Wait for the pressure to release naturally for 5 to 7 minutes. Then release the pressure manually by moving the handle to the venting position. Open the lid and fluff the rice using a fork. Transfer it to a wide plate and let it cool down completely. Press the sauté button. When it displays hot, pour oil into the inner pot of the instant pot. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and saute till onion becomes light and garlic becomes fragrant. Add tofu or paneer, cashews, and saute for a minute or till it becomes golden in color. Now add mangoes and all the veggies that you are going to add along with basil or cilantro, salt, sugar, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and saute for another minute or until the rice becomes hot. Finally, add the soy sauce and toss till combined.
Leftover rice or day-old rice works the best for fried rice. By doing so, rice grains firm up, become easier to separate and avoid turning mushy. If you are using freshly steamed rice, either cook before you prepare the fried rice and spread it on a wide plate, and cool completely. You can even put it in the refrigerator to remove any moisture content couple of hours before making fried rice. You can reheat the fried rice in the microwave, stovetop, or oven. The best way to reheat is by adding moisture (water or broth around 2 tbsp) back to rice to avoid it from drying out. Once you sprinkle water and toss, reheat in a microwave-safe bowl for 90 seconds stirring every 20 seconds until heated through, or on the stovetop in a pan or wok on medium flame or in the oven at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Simply substitute mangoes with pineapples in the recipe to make pineapple fried rice. Rest all remains the same. Add around 10 to 12 medium-size shrimp in the pan along with 2 tablespoon of oil on high heat. Cook on each side for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the shrimps curl up and cook through. Just before you add soy sauce in the above-mentioned recipe, add shrimp and toss till combined. You can add around 8 oz chicken breasts chopped into strips or bite-size pieces. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in pan or wok on high heat. Add chicken pieces and cook on high until it is browned all over and chicken is cooked through around 3 to 4 minutes. Just before adding soy sauce, in the recipe above add chicken and toss till combined. You can skip all the veggies here or include them for color, crunch, and health benefits. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium-high flame. Add eggs and scramble until they are done. Mix this to the rice in the recipe before adding soy sauce and toss till it is well incorporated into the rice
Lemon Rice or Chitranna Raw Mango Rice Indo Chinese Fried Rice Leftover Rice Fritters Eggplant Rice or Vangi Bhath
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